Table



May 1, 1923.

A. WAGNER TABLE Filed Feb. 9, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 1,1923.

Darren STATES PATET GFFECE.

ANDREW WAGNER, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FERGUSONBROTHERS MFG. 00., OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TABLE.

Application filed February 9, 1921. Serial No. 443,637.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW WAGNER, a citizen of the United States, andresident of West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tables, of whichthe following is a specification.

An object of my invention is to provide a folding-leg table which willbe so constructed that each leg when unfolded in position for use willbe held and braced rigidly in two directions.

Another object of my invention is to provide certain improvements in theform, construction and arrangement of the several parts of a foldingtable or stand, whereby each of the legs when unfolded is rigidly bracedin two directions, one of the braces also serving as a spring means forautomatically locking the leg in its unfolded position againstunintentional displacement.

Another ob'ec't of my invention is to provide one of t e braces with ayielding. lateral tension to frictionally engage the leg and hold it inits folded position against unintentional displacement.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawin in which Fig. 1 represents an inverted plan view ofthe table with the legs folded. I

F i 2 represents a similar view with the legs in their unfoldedposition.

Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 represents a detail elevation, on an enlarged scale, of onecorner of the table and the leg adjacent thereto.

Fig. 5 represents an inverted plan view of the same.

Fig. 6 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the lineVI-VI of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 reprwents a detail section of the spring brace!- and the adjacentmechanism, and

Fig. 8 represents a. detail elevation of a portion of the leg, one ofthe braces and the keeper for the brace, said keeper and lockpin beingshown in section.

The top of the table is denoted by 1 and may be made of any suitablematerial. Its edges are conveniently provided with strips 2, 3, 4 and 5secured to the top in any welltion.

known or approved manner, and projecting below the'under surface of thetop suflicient to form a lateral housing for the legs and furnish meansfor the attachment thereto of the upper ends of the legs and braces tobe hereinafter explained.

The legs are four in number and quite similar in construction, and aresecured by similar means, so that a specific description of one willsuffice for all.

The body of the leg is denoted by 6 and may have any desired shape incross sec- Atits upper end it is provided with a laterally extended hub7 securely fastened thereto, so that its ends will project laterallyfrom the body of the leg, and so located with respect llO'lIhG body ofthe leg that it will lie fiat against the underside of the table top.

Each leg is pivotally secured between a block 8 and its respective stripby means of screws 9, 10; the screw 9 passing through the block into thehub 7, and the screw 10 through the frame into the opposite end of thehub. The block 8 is secured to the underside ofthe table topby screws11. The blocks are shown as being disposed near the corners of the tabletop so that the legs are pivoted between one end of the block and oneside of the table frame. Furthermore, the blocks are so arranged thatthose which are diagonally opposite each other are substantiallyparallel and hence the screws, which act as pivots for the legs, havetheir axes parallel in the case of the screws which are diagonallyopposite each other. The result of this disposition of the blocks 8 andpivot screws is that the legs, when folded, occupy positions aroundthe'table i. e. they compose a rectangle.

One end of a rigid diagonal brace 12 is pivotally secured by the screw 9between the block 8 and the hub 7, and the other end is secured fixedlyto the legs, intermediate the ends thereof, b screws 13. This braceserves to prevent t e leg from swinging in a plane parallel to the axesof the screws which pivot the legs-to the table.

A swinging brace is provided with a, long arm 14 and a short arm 15,which brace is pivoted to the frame at 16. The lower end of the long arm14 has a notch 17 arranged to engage a lock-pin 18. A keeper 19 ofU-shaped form is mounted on the lock-pin 18 in position to guide andhold the lon arm 14 in its position on the leg 6. stop-pin 20 is securedin position on the table frame and arranged to engage the short arm 15of the swinging brace as the leg nears the limit of its unfoldingosition to force the long arm against the ook-pin 18 so as to cause itto snap into the notch 17 in the brace in the long arm 14, as the legreaches the limit of its unfolding movement. Thus it will be seen thatthe long arm 14 of the swinging brace sustains the leg in a direction atright angles to the longitudinal axes of the screws 9, 10, while thebrace 12 will rigidly support the leg in a direction parallel to thescrews 9, 10, so that the leg will, when in unfolding position, as inuse, be quite rigidly held in position and a very desirable degree ofstability will be thereby imparted to the table as a whole.

To maintain the leg in its folded position, as shown in Fig. 1, the longarm 14 of the swin ing brace has a tendency to yield inwardly toward theleg and thereby create a frictional engagement which will tend to keepthe leg in its folded position.

T 0 add to the firmness of the table top,

I bars 21 may be fixed to the underside thereof, as clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

It will be understood that various changes may be resorted in the form,construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not Wish to limitmyself strictly to the form herein set forth.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A folding table comprising a top having a peripheral frame, blockssecured to the underside of the table top and spaced from the peripheralframe, to permit the free ends of the legs to fold against the table topbetween the blocks and peripheral frame, foldable legs, each leg havinga laterally extended hub located between the frame and block, screwsextending through the frame and block respectively, into the ends of thehub for pivoting the leg to the frame and block, a rigid diagonal braceleading from the end of the hub adjacent the block to the leg, and aswinging brace pivoted to the table and arranged to engage the leg forlocking the leg in its unfolded position.

2. A folding table comprising a top having a peripheral frame, blockssecured to the underside of the table top and spaced from the peripheralframe, to permit the free ends of the legs to fold against the table topbetween the blocks and peripheral frame, foldablelegs, each leg having alaterally extended hub located between the frame and block, screwsextending through the frame and block respectively, into the ends of thehub for pivoting the leg to the frame and block,"a rigid diagonal bracehaving one end pivoted on the screw between the block and hub and itsother end secured fixedly to the leg, and a swinging brace pivoted tothe table and arranged to engage the leg for locking the leg in itsunfolded position.

3. A folding table comprising a top having a peripheral frame, blockssecured to the underside of the table top and spaced from the peripheralframe. to permit the free ends of the legs to fold against the table topbetween the blocks and peripheral frame, foldable legs, each leg havinga laterally extended hub located between the frame and block, screwsextending through the frameand block respectively, into the ends of thehub for pivoting the leg to the frame and block, a rigid diagonal bracehaving one end pivoted on the screw between the block and hub and itsother end secured fixedly to the leg, and a swinging brace pivoted tothe table and arranged to engage the leg for locking the leg in itsunfolded position, said swinging brace being adapted to exert sufficientlateral tension on the leg to frictionally hold it in its foldedposition.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name, this first day of February, 1921.

ANDREW WAGNER.

